Topic 1. Introduction to Consumer Behavior
Chapter Reflections
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Consumer behavior isn’t a single action, but a process with 3 major steps: pre-purchase (including searching for information and comparing options), purchase, and post-purchase (evaluating your choices). How much time do you typically spend in each of these stages? Do you mull over a purchase for a day? A week? How does your personal consumer timeline affect the decisions you make when considering a purchase?
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Dhana, Miwa, and Morisada (2019) have studied how a consumer’s self-value, image, and fashion orientation affect their fashion lifestyle. They identified four types of consumers: individualistic innovators, rational followers, self-actualized experts, and integrated shoppers. Based on their descriptions, how would you describe your shopping habits?
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Consumer behavior research spans multiple disciplines. Other fields, such as economics and sociology, also relate to consumer behavior. Look through the titles for recent publications in the Journal of Consumer Research. What other disciplines do you see represented here? Is your own major among them?
- How might consumer behavior research help solve real-world problems beyond marketing in the fashion industry?
- Which consumer research approach do you believe would yield the most actionable and meaningful insights for a fashion company today—and why?
